Longhorn_Platinum
09-01-2007, 07:11 PM
:unsmile: A problem that I've had to deal with for years finally has me so exasperated, that I sent the following to Texas State Senator Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo).
As a HS teacher, there is a problem I've noticed for years that sure needs fixin'. Every year, I get students in my Geometry classes that haven't passed Algebra I. This year, I'm required to use a specific curriculum, & in the first week, we've already encountered problems that require the students to know how to solve equations. Those who haven't passed Algebra I are already lost, & are already in jeopardy of failing the year.
This isn't just a problem in my current school. I've encountered it at three other schools in east Texas, & west Texas, & now the panhandle, so it seems to be a widespread practice. Asking administrators to recognize that Algebra I is a prerequisite for Geometry is a waste of time; nothing is ever done to place the student in the proper class. And there's always the possibility that the administrators that have set these students up for failure will call me on the carpet to complain that "too many" students are failing my class.
And it's not just math that has this problem. I was once told by an English teacher that there are concepts covered in English II that a student won't be able to grasp if they didn't pass English I. Science teachers are also vulnerable to this problem.
And part of the problem is that sometimes (not always) a student passed one semester of Algebra I, so the administration doesn't want the student sitting out a semester, so they make the student "double up". This wouldn't be a problem, if schools weren't giving students credit by semester for courses that are supposed to run for an entire year. And this presents another problem. If, for example, a student gets credit for first semester Geometry, but has to repeat the second semester the following year, a change in curriculum could cause the student to miss some required objectives.
Is there any way the legislature can address these issues? Surely, the Texas Education Agency can (are already has?) published a list of subjects, especially in the core areas, & the prerequisites for each. There must be some way to make public schools recognize that students misplaced in courses for which they're not prepared is a disaster waiting to happen. If it takes a state law that includes stiff monetary penalties for schools that persist in this practice, then so be it. Personally, that's what I'd recommend. And the penalties should be per infraction, per week that this situation is allowed to exist.
I've tried reasoning with school officials on this, but to no avail. So I'm appealing to you. I hope you can do something about this "prerequisite problem", & also about students receiving partial credit for year-long subjects.
[Me]
As a HS teacher, there is a problem I've noticed for years that sure needs fixin'. Every year, I get students in my Geometry classes that haven't passed Algebra I. This year, I'm required to use a specific curriculum, & in the first week, we've already encountered problems that require the students to know how to solve equations. Those who haven't passed Algebra I are already lost, & are already in jeopardy of failing the year.
This isn't just a problem in my current school. I've encountered it at three other schools in east Texas, & west Texas, & now the panhandle, so it seems to be a widespread practice. Asking administrators to recognize that Algebra I is a prerequisite for Geometry is a waste of time; nothing is ever done to place the student in the proper class. And there's always the possibility that the administrators that have set these students up for failure will call me on the carpet to complain that "too many" students are failing my class.
And it's not just math that has this problem. I was once told by an English teacher that there are concepts covered in English II that a student won't be able to grasp if they didn't pass English I. Science teachers are also vulnerable to this problem.
And part of the problem is that sometimes (not always) a student passed one semester of Algebra I, so the administration doesn't want the student sitting out a semester, so they make the student "double up". This wouldn't be a problem, if schools weren't giving students credit by semester for courses that are supposed to run for an entire year. And this presents another problem. If, for example, a student gets credit for first semester Geometry, but has to repeat the second semester the following year, a change in curriculum could cause the student to miss some required objectives.
Is there any way the legislature can address these issues? Surely, the Texas Education Agency can (are already has?) published a list of subjects, especially in the core areas, & the prerequisites for each. There must be some way to make public schools recognize that students misplaced in courses for which they're not prepared is a disaster waiting to happen. If it takes a state law that includes stiff monetary penalties for schools that persist in this practice, then so be it. Personally, that's what I'd recommend. And the penalties should be per infraction, per week that this situation is allowed to exist.
I've tried reasoning with school officials on this, but to no avail. So I'm appealing to you. I hope you can do something about this "prerequisite problem", & also about students receiving partial credit for year-long subjects.
[Me]